Often times homeowners are tempted to take landscape design into their own hands and while that’s certainly their prerogative they wind up committing design errors that are counterproductive to their intended goal of enhancing the look and value of their property. In this post we’re going to take a look at 6 of the most common DIY landscaping design errors.
Common Design Errors a Professional Won’t Make
Even the smartest and best intentioned homeowner is prone to making landscaping mistakes. After all, landscape design is a profession that takes years to master. Here are 6 of the most common design errors homeowners will make that a professional landscaping company won’t.
Forgetting There are Four Seasons: All too often DIY landscapers come up with plans that look great during the summer months and dismal the rest of the year. In any four season environment there should be some flora that looks good year round, some that looks great in the fall and some that will shine in the spring.
Mulch = The Answer to All Problems: A landscape design is a composition. And like any composition – whether it’s a painting or a symphony or an architectural design – there needs to be balance. You can’t just keep reaching for one colour or instrument every time you’re not sure what to do. Likewise mulch needs to be deployed with restraint.
Random Hardscapes: Colours and textures need to complement each other. If the colour of your deck clashes with the colour of the interlocking walkway the effect will be jarring. Likewise if the natural stone in the outdoor kitchen clashes with the stone of the pool deck you’ll have problems as well.
Planting High Maintenance Trees: Virtually every tree will produce some litter and require some maintenance. But there are some that are definitely more work than others. High maintenance trees include:Willow – Needs lots of water and produces lots of rakeable litter in the fall.
- Eucalyptus – Grow incredibly fast by tree standards. Need to be pruned yearly.
- Basswood – Secrete lots of sticky sap that will cover anything underneath them.
- Fruit – Fruit trees can be a big plus but they also require lots of maintenance.
Not Researching Zoning Regulations: Zoning is one element many DIYers often don’t consider. Zoning regulations can cover everything from fencing height and materials to fertilizer usage, the size of the deck, placement of retaining walls, drainage and whether or not you’re allowed to remove that old shed in the backyard.
Overconfidence: Even the most skilled landscape designer needs to step back and assess their design from time to time. Just assuming every decision is correct is a recipe for disaster. There’s no shame in admitting one might be in over one’s head and putting in a call to the landscaping contractor.
Landscape design is most often best left to the pros. They’ll work faster and more efficiently, come up with a better looking design (sorry, they will), know what zoning regulations are in play and also know where to get the needed materials at the best price.
M.E. Contracting is a Toronto landscaping company providing high quality outdoor solutions, specializing in design and construction of all outdoor projects such as Landscaping, Pools, Interlocking, Decking, Railings and Fences. M.E. Contracting’s vast experience in all aspects of the landscaping design and constructions provides us with the ability to take big or small projects and ensure a successful, high quality project. Our 7,000 sft landscaping showroom is the only showroom in Ontario dedicated to landscaping & outdoor construction where we feature hundreds of decking, interlocking & landscaping materials to choose from as well as an in ground pool with waterfalls, outdoor kitchen & outdoor furniture.
